Silence settled around her. The room spun, as did her insides. Clutching her stomach, she turned and looked out the window. They were on the fourteenth floor, and it had to be a hundred feet up. There was no way out, not without jumping, that was.
“I’ve got Dyson’s daughter,” Rossler said, his voice sounding loud in spite of the barrier between them. “The bitch came to me just like you said she would.”
He’d known who she was all along. They all did. Colin was right—this party was nothing but a setup.
Just what had she been thinking by coming there? She was trapped, and there was no one there who knew where she was. Except perhaps for the mob boss who’d kidnapped her father. And he was on his way to come get her and take her back to his palace in hell.
Backing away from the door, Julia looked around. Think, Julia, think! She could lift the bed, but she seriously doubted she could break the window with it.
Why hadn’t she told anyone where she was going—these men were going to kill her! Or maybe they would take her to the place they were holding her father then kill them both.
Just who were these psychopaths? What score did they have to settle with her family? Was her father really FBI? Or was there more to it than that, and was whatever secret he’d been keeping about to cost both of them their lives?
Collapsing onto her knees, Julia wrapped her arms around her shaking body. Focus, Julia. She needed to focus. What would Colin do if he were in this situation?
Who was she kidding? Colin would be a dead man.
She’d known from the beginning that rescuing her father might cost her her life. But how could she not have tried? Her father had always been there for her, no matter what she’d done and no matter what sort of mess she’d gotten herself into. If she died tonight, at least she would know that she had done everything she could to try and save the man who had always been her family, the one person who had loved her unconditionally.
Only…she didn’t want to die!
In one last ditch effort, Julia raced to the window, taking off one of her high-heeled shoes. As hard as she could, she banged the plastic wedge against the glass. It didn’t break. Not so much as a crack formed in the glass.
Tears streamed down her cheeks. She tried to stop them, but the droplets flowed at will. A sob caught in her throat. It echoed in the empty room.
Seconds later, a noise louder than her crying brought Julia to her feet. Realizing it had come from the hall, she got beside the door. There was grunting, and it sounded as though two men were on the other side of the wall, struggling. She put her ear to the barrier, getting a loud blow to her eardrum as something banged hard against it.
The sound of a punch rang out then another. It was as though whoever was on the other side of the door was being beaten to a pulp.
The fighting grew louder, more intense. A very hard punch was thrown, and it sounded like one big whack. A long period of silence followed.
The pounding in Julia’s heart intensified. Whoever had won was standing out there, and the lunatic was coming for her. She clutched her stomach, fighting the urge to keel over and pass out.
“Get back, Julia,” a deep voice said.
At the recognition of it, extreme tension seeped from Julia’s body. She sprang back as the door was kicked open. Dylan Rossler, covered in bruises, lay in a heap on the ground. The man responsible stood beside him, shirt torn, collarbone drenched in sweat.
Tears flooded Julia’s eyes. She charged forward as Colin pulled her into his arms. He held her tightly against his banged-up body.
They were both worse for the wear, but they were alive. That was all that mattered. Not the stupidity of what she’d just done. But the fact that they were safe. The fact that Colin was safe.
Julia closed her eyes, inhaling Colin’s scent and letting it soothe her. She had almost died tonight. And she had almost lost Colin. But he was there. No one could hurt her. Colin had saved her.
She buried her face against his chest. He smoothed his hand over her back.
“Let’s get the hell out of here,” he said emphatically.
Julia had never heard a better suggestion spoken. With Colin’s strong arms around her, she turned and the two of them walked from the party.
Chapter 17
As he stepped into the hotel elevator, Colin loosened his hold on Julia. She was clearly terrified, but he didn’t suppose he was going to help her any by crushing her to death. Wincing at the sight of her tearstained face, he pressed the button for the second floor.
The elevator doors closed and he retightened his hold on her. He stroked her back, which was the same thing he had been doing for most of the ride there.
He sincerely hoped it was helping. Julia had stopped shaking, but her lack of chatter indicated that she was still very much in shock. Though he imagined any woman would have been in shock, had she just been held in a room against her will.
Only, Julia Dyson wasn’t any woman. She was as courageous and headstrong a person as he had ever known. Which was why it was worrying him so much that she hadn’t yet snapped out of her trance.
Maybe Dylan Rossler had done something to her. Maybe the bastard had hurt her, or worse, maybe he’d taken her against her will. So help that prick if he had touched one hair on Julia’s head…
Keeping Julia firmly within the groove of his arm, Colin stepped inside the hotel room and flicked on the light switch. After shutting the door, he double-bolted it behind them.
Short of a pale complexion, Julia didn’t appear to be injured. At least, it didn’t look as though she had any bruises. But he knew he wouldn’t feel better until he saw this for himself. Though it was completely unethical, he had half a mind to give her a physical. And if he actually believed he could perform one on her and control himself, he would do just that.
He led a trembling Julia to the bed. Looking into her tearful eyes, he knelt beside her, cupping her cheek. It killed him seeing her like this, killed him even more knowing that he was completely to blame.
Speaking as gently as he could manage, he said, “You’re safe now. It’s all right, sweetheart. You’re safe. I’m right here—no one’s coming after us. No one’s going to hurt you ever again.”
Julia nodded, but she said nothing, causing him to have a horrifying realization. Maybe something had happened between her and Dylan Rossler in that room. She’d been dressed when he found her, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t put her clothes back on afterward, or that Rossler had bothered to remove them at all.
Feeling as though he were on the brink of an explosion, Colin said, “Did that guy—I mean—Dylan Rossler didn’t…you and he didn’t—”
“Of course not! Holy crap, Westwood. What kind of girl do you think I am?”
“One who clearly has a death wish,” Colin muttered under his breath.
“Me?” Julia exclaimed. “I went over there to save your ass. Not the other way around.”
“Which you were obviously doing a phenomenal job with while you were locked inside that bedroom.”
Her chin squared. “You may have been the one to kick the door down, but I would have gotten out of that room with or without your help.”
“If you really believe that, Julia, then you really are naïve. Do you realize what Dylan Rossler would have done if I hadn’t gotten there when I did? Allow me to clue you in, since you’re obviously not aware. Because it’s the same thing every other red-blooded bastard at that party wanted to do to you!”
“You mean”—she bit her lip—“that he—”
“Was planning on having sex with you? Of course, Julia. Of course those guys thought you were sexy, of course Dylan Rossler wanted to have sex with you! I’m not blind. I can see what’s right in front of me. Any man at that party who didn’t want you was either gay or in a drunken coma!”
Her blue eyes narrowed, and Colin bit his tongue. He hadn’t intended to say all that out loud. Hadn’t intended to say any of it, in fact. But he was glad it had happened
because he was done holding back.
There was something between him and Julia. A need that ran deep and had been building since that night in his bed. Sometimes it seemed as if it had been longer, particularly at moments such as this when he wanted nothing more than to toss her onto the bed, rip off that damned cocktail dress she was wearing, and sample every last inch of her skin.
He’d wanted to keep his desires to himself, wanted to keep things simple between them. The complications they were risking were great, and God knew he hated the idea that he might be taking advantage of Julia when her father was missing. But right now, he couldn’t seem to think about those things. And after everything they’d been through tonight, he was no longer sure that holding back was going to be possible.
“Does ‘every other red-blooded bastard’ include you?” Julia asked, blinking her blue eyes furiously.
Colin took a staggered breath. Narrowing his gaze, he approached her with two hastened steps. “If you didn’t want me to behave like a red-blooded bastard, Julia,” he whispered, “then, you shouldn’t have worn this dress.”
Her eyes opened wide and he swooped in, capturing her lips with his. Tasting the sweetness of her mouth, his last bit of willpower escaped him. He kissed Julia with everything he had been holding back, running his fingertips through her hair, drawing her against him as though he could somehow claim her as his own.
As he dipped his tongue into her mouth, Julia released a squeal, one he couldn’t quite tell was in protest or desire. Wanting to believe more than anything that it was the latter, Colin drew back. He’d waited so long to have her. He needed to know that she was hungering for him as much as he was her.
“I’m going too fast,” he said, sounding much more out of breath than he had expected himself to. “If you don’t want this, or if you’re not sure—”
“I’m sure,” she said, cutting him off with a smile that melted his insides. “I want this, too, Colin. I have for a long time.”
“You mean since the night you snuck into my bed?” Recalling with vivid clarity the way her warm silhouette had felt, becoming hard at the thought of it, he said, “Because I’ve never been able to stop thinking about that night.”
Julia’s porcelain face grew crimson. A sexy grin formed on her lips. “Neither have I,” she said. “But actually, that wasn’t the first time I saw you.”
“It wasn’t?” He raised a thoughtful brow.
“No,” she said, glittering eyelids turning downward. Taking a deep breath, she said, “When I was sixteen, I worked as a maid at the Westwood Inn. When I was finishing up for the day, I used to come by the lobby. I’d see you sign for your father’s money, and…I’d watch you. Unable to take my eyes away.”
Colin’s irises widened three sizes. Desmond was right—Julia had once worked at one of his father’s hotels. But the wildcard, the very intriguing wildcard was that she’d had a crush on him at the time. A teenage crush she had apparently been carrying around a good portion of her life. Though he knew there hadn’t been much about him that would have impressed a woman in his early twenties, the fact that Julia thought there was gave him an enormous amount of satisfaction and pride.
How such an attractive woman had been so closely in his vicinity and he hadn’t noticed her was beyond him. If Julia had been half as beautiful as she was now, he would have remembered her for sure.
And then, it hit him. The young woman who’d knocked the supply cart down the lobby staircase. That was why he felt as if he’d seen her before. Julia Dyson was certainly true to form, at least in terms of the bold incidents she seemed to be responsible for causing. He remembered that day well, as he had spent most of the afternoon explaining to his father that he had witnessed the incident personally, that the wheel of the supply cart had locked, making the incident no one’s fault and the maid should not be fired.
“Some of my finer moments, I’m sure,” he said, offering a debonair smile.
Julia gave him a thorough once-over. “Oh, I don’t know. You looked pretty fine to me.”
Ignited by her suggestive words, Colin gleamed. Taking Julia’s hands in his, he pressed a kiss to her knuckles. He slipped an arm around her waist, drawing her close. “And what do you think of me now, Julia?”
She hid her eyes. Not about to let her get shy on him now, he slid his cheek against hers. He planted a kiss against her delicate earlobe, tickling it with the tip of his tongue.
Good God. She tasted like vanilla and jasmine, and he found himself wanting to sample her as though she were a piece of candied pie. Exploring her soft skin, Colin reacquainted himself with her scent, the evidence of which had been the only reminder of her presence that had been left behind on his pillowcase.
“I…I think you’re incredible,” Julia said, the words coming on a breath.
Fire ignited within him. For two agonizing months, he had wanted her. Wanted to hold her, to feel her body against his. He was going to undress and savor every inch of her perfect figure. And then he was going to explore every last one of her secret treasures—the peaks of her breasts, the crevices of her thighs.
Julia Dyson was the most infuriating woman he had ever known. She was also the most beguiling. Now that he knew she wanted him, too, there was nothing keeping him from experiencing everything she had to offer.
“Then let me know show you how incredible I can be.”
Taking possession of her mouth, Colin prodded her gently with his tongue. As Julia parted her lips, he dove in, penetrating her softness. Weakened by the taste of her, he imagined the flavor of her collarbone, her belly, and the moist center between her thighs.
Her hands brushed against his chest, and he wondered briefly whether she had changed her mind, whether she saw him for the villain he was. But instead of pushing him away, Julia began to undo the buttons of his shirt. She unfastened each one with care and haste. When she had his shirt open, she slipped her hands inside and smoothed her fingertips along the grooves of his muscles.
Colin groaned, falling prey to the power of her touch. Unable to focus on anything else, he concentrated only on the sweet sensations that Julia brought him, sensations which would surely be his undoing. He was dying for her to move her palms lower, to touch him in the place where he was aching for her to do so. But evidently she was a practiced tease. She seemed to be doing her very best to keep him in suspense as long as possible.
Deciding that two could play at that game, he clasped her hips. Positioning her so that she was certain to experience the same torment she’d just given him, he glided his length skillfully against her center.
A pleasured groan escaped Julia’s fiery lips. She gasped, arching her head back. There, Colin thought smugly, grinding himself more tightly against her center. That would teach her to tease him.
With a glimmer in her eyes, Julia lifted her chin. Angling her body against his, she threatened to do him worse than he had her. But before she could do any such thing, Colin lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed. After he laid her back, Julia inched toward him and wrapped her legs around his waist.
All thoughts of revenge escaped him. Kissing her deeply, he urged her back, trailing his mouth from her lips to her neck.
The taste of her skin was addictive, like fine wine. Colin quickly found himself needing to sample more. Sliding his hands from the warmth of Julia’s scalp, he slipped the straps of her bra from her shoulders then kissed the spots where the lace had been. He inched the garment down over her breasts, revealing the most magnificent display of perfection he had ever seen.
His mouth watered as he lowered it to one rosy-pink nipple. Dipping her head back, Julia closed her eyes. She smiled and shivered as he suckled her tender skin and moved her hands beneath his open shirt. He groaned as she stroked him, her fingertips teetering along the waistband of his jeans.
As he kissed her breasts, Julia stroked the patch of skin above his groin. Sliding her hand inside his boxers, she reached in just long enough to brush the tip of
his hardened shaft.
Colin drew a short breath. He would ruin their fun for sure if she kept up that particular brand of torture.
Inching his mouth downward, he ignited a trail of wet kisses along Julia’s breasts. He unzipped her cocktail dress and tugged it down to her hips. At the sight her cream-white skin, the bare legs he had been waiting to see for so long, his mouth went dry.
Blue eyes wild with mischief, Julia sat herself up. He shot her a wicked grin, briefly considering removing the remainder of her clothing with his teeth. But before he could figure out where to begin, Julia perched on her knees. With a smile, she slid her dress and bra down her thighs. She took them off, tossing them beside her on the mattress.
Paralyzed, Colin could do nothing but stare at the magnificent display before him. His gaze fell from Julia’s lips, to her collarbone, finally resting against her high-peaked breasts. The perfect spheres were accented by dark-pink nipples that seemed as eager for his gaze as he was to give it to them.
Dressed in only her panties, Julia was one of the sexiest women he had ever seen. How he had waited this long to have her was unfathomable. His prick pulsed in eager anticipation. He’d hardly realized that Julia was crawling toward him.
Colin sucked in a breath, letting his bed kitten do whatever it was she wanted, allowing her delicate hands to work their magic. Julia unfastened his belt buckle and stared as though savoring the sight of his chest, as though he were some sort of god who required her utmost concentration.
Waiting to be inside of her was eating him alive. But he was enjoying the anticipation of wondering what she was going to do so much, he almost didn’t mind it. Almost…
Julia unzipped his pants. She tugged them down, and he took her hands, drawing them gently away.
Lacing her fingers with his, Colin lowered his chest, welcoming her hardened peaks against his skin. They both gasped, and he pulled Julia fiercely against his body.
She was going to be his undoing. But he couldn’t stop this now if he wanted to. Julia Dyson was his tonight. He wasn’t letting her go until she had experienced everything he had to offer.
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